Oil burner



R. E. WOOD on. BURNER Oct. 20, 1925- Filed My 16, 1924 ATTORNEYS PATENT OFFICE.

ROY E. woon, or SYRACUSE, nnnms'm.

OIL BURNER.

Application and may 16, 1924. Serial No. 713,803.

zen of the United States, and a resident of Syracuse, county of Otoe, State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oil Burners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in Oll burners, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to rovide an oil burner of the character described in which liquid hydrocarbon fuel is consumed, and in which the liquid fuel is initially changed to a vapor and subsequently distributed as a vapor over a generating hot plate, where oxygen is supplied and heat from the plate is employed to change the vapor to a gas, providing a highly combustible mixture of gas an supplied thereto.

A further object of my invention is to provide an oil burner of the type described in which means is provided for prevent-ing the condensing of the gases during the period of combustion by thein'troduction of a draft of preheated air to the combustion space.

A further object of my invention is to provide an oil burner of the type described in Which the use of forced draft is entirely precluded, and in which the fuel may be introduced by gravity feed,thus eliminating all driven mechanism therefrom ordinarily found in the present-day type of oil burners employed for heating purposes.

A further object of my invention is to provide an oil burner of the type described in which combustion may be initially started by the introduction of a highly volatile fluid to a specially constructed distributor cap which fulfills a two-fold purpose, that of distributing the highly, volatile fluid for initially heating the parts of the burner, and for distributing vapor after the burner is self-feeding.

A further object of'the invention is to provide a device of the type described in which a generator plate of articularly novel construction is employe having a plurality of staggered upwardly projecting baffle fins for absorbing heat from the plate, thereby maintaining the generator plate in an incandescent condition.

oxygen from air Other objects and advantages will appear in the followin specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this ap lication, in which igure 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of my invention, and

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the mechanismillustrated in Figure 1 with the draft fiues removed.

In carrying out my invention I make use of a'hollow annular air preheating chamber 1. This chamber 1 is divided into two semicircular segmental compartments by the partition walls 2, (see dotted lines Figure 2),

and intake openings 3 are provided'in the lowermost wall 4 of the chamber 1, one for each of the compartments of the chamber,

and disposed adjacent to the partition walls 2 (see Figure 1). The roof of the chamber 1 is provided with a multiplicity of depending conical radiating fins 5. Apertures' 6 are provided through the roof of the chamber 1, one for each of the compartments formed by the partition walls 2 and at that end of the compartment remote from the intake opening 3 so that air entering the intake aperture 3 must follow the arrow 7 through the entire length of the compartment and thence upwardly through the aperture 6. Obviously if the walls of the chamber 1. are hot the air will be thoroughly preheated in its travel through the compartments.

An annular apron 8 is disposed contiguous with the outer wall 9 of the chamber 1 and extends below the chamber. This apron is for the purpose of permitting a sand or ash pack 10 to be disposed between the chamber and the walls of the furnace, fire pot, and the like, in which the burner is disposed, thereb precluding the entrance, of air to the re pot or furnace except through the inlet openings 3.

The entire upper surface ll-of the top wall of the annular chamber 1 is provided with staggered heat absorbing cones 12 formed integral with the chamber wall. This is for the purpose of absorbing heat from the flames in the combustion space and subsequently conducting that heat through the top wall of the chamber to the radiating fins 5 and thence to the air passing through the compartments of the chamber.

portions 17 carried by the inner wall of the annular chamber 1. This is to prevent rotation of the generator plate relative to the chamber.

With reference to Figure 2 it will be noted that the plate 15 is provided with a plurality of upwardly extending heat absorbing fins or the like 18. These fins or like portions are staggered with relation to radial lines drawn from the center of the plate so that the flame in passing over the plate may strike the fins which serve somewhat as baffle members to alter the course of the flame, and in doing so to absorb to a high degree, the heat generated by the burning gases.

A vapor generating core 20 having a conical top side wall 21 is fitted within an opening 22 extending axially through the plate 15. The core 20 is substantiallyhollow save for the upper end adjacent to the surface 21 which is partially closed, leaving an opening 23 through which a liquid fuel delivery tube 24. is projected, the top of the tube being flush with the uppermost end of the side wall 21.. It will be noted that the upper portion of the opening 22 tapers inwardly to a relatively narrow mouth 25, disposed at a point higher than the tallest of thefins 18.

A vapor distributor cap .26 is frictionally mounted upon that portion of the plate 15 immediately surrounding the mouth 25 of the opening 22. The cap 26, (see Figure 1) has a plurality of openings 27 therethrou'gh, hich incline downwardly at their outermost ends. The top of the cap 26 is concave as shown at 28 and has four notches 29 formed at the edges thereof for the purpose of permitting highly volatile fluid placed on the surface 28 to flow down the side walls of the cap onto the generating plate 15. A hollow draft flue 30 having its inlet portions 31 disposed directly over the apertures 6 and held against dislodgenient laterally by the provision of abutment walls 32' adjacent to the openings 6, and disposed upon the upper surface 11 of the annular chamber 1 is provided for the purpose of conducting heated air from the heating chamber to the generating plate. The two branches of the draft flue 30. unite at 33 and have secured thereto a flame spreader or draft deflector 34, having the shape of a hollow, truncated cone through which the heated air may pass and be distributed over the surface of the generating plate 15.

A plurality of openings 35 are provided through the neck 36 of the flame spreader for the purpose of permitting heated air containing oxygen to be conducted to the tips of the flame and thus assure complete combustion of. the gases at that point of the flame (i. e., the tip of the flame) where under the ordinary circumstances condensation of the gases occurs before the combustion is complete, leaving soot upon adjacent parts of the burner.

In order that the preheated air entering the combustion space through the draft and flues 30 may not become cooled, I have provided fins 37 on the exterior walls of the draft flue 30 at that point above the generating plate 15, and where the flames may strike the draft flue.

A tube 40 is projected through the draft flue 30, immediately above the delivery portion of the draft flue, above the concave surface 28 of the distributor cap 26. This tube is for the purpose of admitting a highly volatile fluid to the distributor cap for the purpose of heating the burner when the deice is first started in operation.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. I first pour a small quantity of highly volatile fluid fuel through the tube 40 so that it may fall upon the distributor cap 26 where it will pass through the notches 29 upon the generating plate 15. This fuel when ignited will gen- 3 erate suflicient heat to heat the draft flue 30, the plate 15, and warm the chamber 1. It is essential, however, that the generating plate 15 be sufliciently hot to cause vaporlzation of the hydrocarbon fluid fuel introduced through the delivery tube 2 1. A valve not shown for regulating the flow of this fuel through-the delivery tube 24 is manipulated so as to permit the fuel to emerge through the open upper end of the tube very slowl where it will run down the inclined si e wall 21 of the generator core. There islittle opportunity for the fuel to become vaporized prior to the time that it strikes the wall 21 of the generator core 20, and emerges from the open end of the delivery tube. Thisis due to the fact that the members 24, 20 and 15 comprise separate pieces which are only joined together by contact and therefore conduction of heat from the member 15 to the tube 24 is necessarily less than would occur if the members 15, 20 and 24 were integral. i

The liquid fuel willbe vaporized as it will act upon the vapor to cause it to thor-.

Ill)

oughly gasify, thus leaving the mixture in a highly combustible state. As combustion takes place, the flames will pass out over the generator plate 15 and further heat the plate until a state of incandescence has been attained. The draft flue will likewise be heated to a high degree and the preheating chamber 1 will be heated so that air passing throu h the chamber 1, and subsequently through t e draft flue 30 will be in such a condition as to insure the maintenance of the fuel in a gaseous state until every particle of the gases has been consumed.

That portion of the burning gases at the top of the flame which might ordinarily condense before combustion is complete will be consumed in combustion due to the fact that the hot air passing through the openings and containing oxygen will unite with the tip of the flame and thus prevent condensa: tion at the tip ofthe flame.

Theflame spreader 34 effectually produces a fin distributor of preheated air to all parts of the generating plate 15, and therefore a thorough mixture of the gasified vapor and air above the plate 15.

An overflow tube is projected through the plate 15 and has its open upper end at the lowest part of the plate 15, so that any fuel not consumed b combustion, as in the event of the extinguishing of the flame, may

- fuel, a distributer cap forming one on flow through the tube 45, and actuate any well known safety control valve for shutting off the supply of fuel to the delivery tube 24. This type of valve has acquired a .distinct status in the art, and is known to all those skilled in liquid fuel burners.

I claim: An oil burner of the character describe comprising a horizontal generator plate, having upwardly extending conical projec tions, a vaporizing chamber associated with said generator .plate for vaporizingli uic} O said chamber for distributing said vaporized fuel over said generator plate, air passages having heat absorbing fins disposed above said generator plate for pre-lieating and conducting air to said generator plate adjacent to said distributer cap, where y said vapor may be consumed by combustion in the region of the generator plate, and whereby the generator plate may thus become incandescent to further insure vaporization in said chamber, said air conducting passage havin auxiliary passages associated therewith ?or conducting heatedair toward the outermost regions of said generator plate, remote from that region occupied by said vaporizing chamber.

RoY E. WOOD. 

